It seems like forever since Kent State has played a home game. The Golden Flashes have played just two games at Dix Stadium this season, both wins, while hitting for their other five contests.

Beginning with this weekend's game against Ball State, Kent State will play four of its final five games at home.

Ball State will make just its second trip to Kent in 15 seasons. Ball State owns a 19-5 advantage in the series and has won the last three meetings and 14 of the last 15.

TEAM QUICK FACTS

Sophomore quarterback Spencer Keith has completed 60.4 percent of his passes (137-227) en route to throwing for 1,352 yards and seven touchdowns so far this season. He has spread the wealth to 12 different receivers.

• Junior wideout Sam Kirkland leads the Flashes with 34 catches for 421 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore wide receiverTyshon Goode is second on the team with 32 grabs for 353 yards.

• Junior running back Jacquise Terry has rushed for 423 yards and a six touchdowns, while making 17 catches for 204 yards and two TDs.

• Defensively, senior linebacker Cobrani Mixon leads the team with 58 tackles, while senior free safety Brian Lainhart has 51 stops. Junior cornerbackNorman Wolfe is sixth in the country with four interceptions.

• Lainhart has contributed to 19 turnovers in the last 26 games. His 16 career INTs are three shy of the school record and are the most among current FBS players.

The Cardinals won their final three MAC games in 2007 and all eight league contests in 2008 for 11 straight conference victories, which ranks as the second longest league winning streak in school history.

MiQuale Lewis, who ranks second on Ball State's career rushing chart with 3,620 yards, rushed for a season high 96 yards on a season best 19 carries at Toledo. With the 19 carries, he moved into third on Ball State's career rushing attempts list. He now has 723 career rushing attempts. Lewis needs 383 rushing yards to become Ball State's all-time leader.

Travis Freeman tallied his second career interception and his first of the 2010 season at Toledo.

Jack Tomlinson caught his first career touchdown pass with 4:44 remaining in the first quarter at Toledo. Three minutes later, he tallied his second career TD catch with 1:43 left in the first quarter at UT to give the Cardinals a 17-0 lead.

Jason Pinkston recorded his third interception of the season and the sixth of his career in the first quarter at Toledo.

KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES

EDGE

BALL STATE CARDINALS

PASS DEFENSE

PASSING GAME

Kent State allows just 213.9 passing yard per game, good for seventh in the MAC. The Golden Flashes' 107.5 defensive pass efficiency rating leads the conference. Kent State has picked of eight passes while allowing just six touchdown throws. Much of Kent State's success in this area can be attributed to its defensive line, which leads the conference with 23 sacks, six more than any other league team. Junor Josh Pleasant is seventh in the conference with seven pass break-ups and Norman Wolfe is tied for third in the MAC with four interceptions. Safety Brian Lainhart has 16 career interceptions.

Ball State's youth at quarterback is evident as the Cardinals rank dead last in the MAC in passing offense. BSU averages just 131 passing yards per contest while completing 53-percent of its pass attempts. The Cardinals have thrown 11 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. Freshman Keith Wenning is expected to start. He has completed 76-of-141 passes for 758 yards and nine touchdowns to eight interceptions. His best game came last week at Toledo, where he threw for 224 yards and three scores. Six BSU players have caught at least 11 passes, led by wide receiverDaniel Ifft and MiQuale Lewis, both with 15.

Kent State's defense continues to make it difficult for opposing offenses. Only two KSU opponents--Murray State and Miami--have thrown for 250 yards or more despite no opponent attempting less than 30 passes. Ball State has yet to throw for 250 yards in a game and four times has been held to just 109 yards or less. EDGE: KSU

RUSH DEFENSE

RUNNING GAME

Entering the weekend, Kent State's rush defense ranked second in the nation behind Boise State. The Flashes allow 2.01 yards per carry and 65.00 yards per game. Only Penn State and Toledo managed to rush for over 100 yards against the Flashes. KSU held two opponents to minus yards rushing. The Flashes are getting a lot of production out of linebackers Cobrani Mixon andDorian Wood and its defensive line, led by freshman Roosevelt Nix, who leads the team with 13 1/2 tackles for loss.

Ball State's top rusher, Eric Williams, didn't play last week at Toledo. He's expected to play at Kent State. He leads the team with 425 yards on 80 carries. Both David Brown and MiQuale Lewis will see a fair share of carries as well. The two have combined for 573 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 123 carries. Lewis rushed for 116 yards and three scores in a 41-20 win over the Flashes in 2008. Ball State's offensive line has been banged up and could have trouble against Kent State's pressure.

Ball State has had success running the football. With 171.2 yards per game, the Cardinals rank third in the MAC. It certainly provides an interesting match-up for Kent State's league-leading rush defense. EDGE: KSU

PASSING GAME

PASS DEFENSE

Sophomore quarterback Spencer Keith played his best game of the season last week at Bowling Green. Ball State's pass defense ranks 11th in the MAC, one spot below BGSU's. That means Keith again should have the opportunity for a big game, provided he avoids the mental mistakes that plagued him early in the season. Sam Kirkland leads the Flashes with 34 receptions, but it was Tyshon Goode that broke out with a career high 12 receptions for 158 yards and two scores at BG.

Ball State allows 235.2 passing yards per game, third worst in the MAC, but the Cardinals have in their secondary one of the league's top thieves. Sean Baker is tied for third in the MAC with four interceptions. In all, the Cardinals have picked of 10 passes. Defensive lineman Robert Eddins leads the team with five sacks, but the Cardinals only have 10 as a team. Charlie Todd has a team-high six passes defended and he has broken up another five.

Kent State's passing game has struggled throughout the season, at least until last week's breakout game at Bowling Green. Ball State's pass defense ranks near the bottom in the MAC and the Cardinals haven't been very effective getting to the passer. However, Ball State has picked off 10 passes and has had their hands on over a dozen more. EDGE: KSU

RUNNING GAME

RUSH DEFENSE

Kent State's running game has yet to flourish. The Flashes have rushed for over 100 yards in just four games and have maxed out at 137 yards in a week 1 win over Murray State. Even last week at Bowling Green the Flashes rushed for just 128 yards against the second-worst rush defense in the MAC. The Flashes average just 3.1 yards per carry and leading rusher,Jacquise Terry averages just 60.4 yards per game, though he ran for 96 at Bowling Green.

It's not often Ball State will hold an advantage in this category, but Kent State's rush defense has struggled so much that the Cardinals should improve on their third-worst ranking in this category on Saturday. The Cardinals have given up over 200 yards on the ground in five games this season, including their last three. Eastern Michigan managed to rush for 265 yarfds and three scores against the Cardinals. Robert Eddins leads the Cardinals with seven tackles for loss.

This match-up is probably the most evenly matched, as neither team is very good here. Kent State has shown some promise in getting the run game going, but the Flashes have yet to be very productive. Ball State has surrendered quite a bit of yardage on the ground, but with a pass defense as pourous as Ball State's, the Flashes likely will try to set up the run through the passing game. EDGE: BSU

SPECIAL TEAMS

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kent State ranks third in the MAC in punting, fifth in field goals and allows just 18.1 yards on kickoff returns and 4.8 yards on punt returns. But, the Flashes will be tested by Ball State's special teams unit. The Cardinals lead the league in kickoff returns and average 11.2 yards per punt return. Junior Matt Rinehart leads the league in punting, but he'll have to kick away from BSU's dangerous returners on Saturday. With Anthony Bowman out for the season, the Flashes have yet to find another dynamic kick returner.

A healthy Eric Williams means Kent State's kickoff coverage unit will be tested. Williams leads the league with a 31.7-yards per return average and Jamill Smith has returned 10 punts for 123 yards (12.3/return). Punter Scott Kovanda is among the best in the league and kicker Ian McGarvey has hit on 9-of-12 field goal tries with a long of 44 yards. Ball State's coverage teams have held opponents to under 20 yards per kick return and just 4.4 yards on punt returns.

The Flashes have been strong on special teams the past few seasons, especially on kickoff return coverage. Last year the Flashes led the nation in defending kickoffs but dropped to sixth this season. Ball State's Eric Williams is fifth in the nation in returning kicks, so that should be an interesting match-up. Matt Rinehart has helped KSU to see positive field position several times this season, which has been a plus, but the Golden Flashses haven't found a dynamic kick returner to replace the injured Anthony Bowman and the Flashes have struggled to field punts. EDGE: BSU

INTANGIBLES

INTANGIBLES

Kent State hasn't won back-to-back games since winning three straight almost a year ago. But, the Flashes do have the benefit of playing at home and in front of what should be a full house thanks to the ceremony to retire former quarterback Josh Cribbs' No. 9 jersey. KSU is 2-0 at home this year and coming off its most complete game of the season. The Flashes do have a dominant, albeit banged up, defense, which should keep the Flashes in the game.

In just his second season as head coach at Ball State Stan Parrish already is on the hot seat. But, that's what happens when you win just four of your first 20 games following a 12-win season. The Cardinals are young and have had to deal with the injury bug. Several offensive linemen are expected to return this week, which should help the Cardinals protect their quarterback and run the football. Getting Mr. Everything Eric Williams back also is a plus.

The Golden Flashes have played just one complete game of football this season, but it was last week on the road at Bowling Green. That dominating victory has created some momentum the Flashes hope to ride to a miracle finish to the 2010 season. The Flashes need a lot of help to win the MAC East, but they know they aren't out of it and they are playing with a lot of confidence and pride. Ball State certainly has been in most of its games. The Cardinals have four losses by a total of 25 points. But, the Cardinals just don't have enough firepower on offense to overcome Kent State's defense. EDGE: KSU

SUMMARY: Every game is a must-win game for Kent State. The Golden Flashes have been in this position before and failed to get the job done. There's no telling what will happen during the rest of the 2010 season, but this group of Golden Flashes believes it can finish strong, despite the failures of so many of their predecessors.

With the offense getting on track last week, the Golden Flashes could be a dangerous team the next five weeks. But, if the team doesn't play with the consistency seen in last week's 30-6 win at Bowling Green they'll see their slim opportunity to win the MAC East disappear.

KENT STATE'S KEYS TO THE GAME:

Fly to the football. Ball State can run the football. The Flashes can't afford to miss tackles and turn short gains into explosion plays. Also, the Flashes need to maintain pressure on the quarterback. Wenning is a freshman and prone to misakes.

Use the pass to set up the run. Spencer Keith played his best game of the year last week. Build off that performance by allowing Keith to do what he does best--pick apart a defense. There's no need to hit a homerun on every pass attempt. Use the short passes to soften BSU's defensive front then try to establish the run.

Play fundamental football. Ball State has plenty of speed and several playmakers. Don't allow any of them to have a career game at Dix Stadium. Keep the short passes short and don't allow Eric Williams or any of the other Cardinals to break long returns on special teams.

MIAMI'S KEYS TO THE GAME:

Get to the quarterback. Rattling Spencer Keith early could cause the sophomore quarterback to lose the confidence he gained last week at Bowling Green.

Win the field position battle. Ball State can run the football. They'll need to move the chains and chew up the clock to win the field position battle and either hold a lead or be close enough to take the lead late in the game.

Exploit the Flashes weaknesses. Kent State has struggled to run the football and has been prone to turnovers. Force the issue.

PREDICTION: KENT STATE 30, BALL STATE 17

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